The Outperformers: Lessons from Top Law Firm Leaders

What drives the success of law firms that regularly outperform?

The Outperformers draws on candid conversations with leaders of the profession’s most admired and profitable firms – and a sample of ascendant competitors – to reveal how exceptional firms build and sustain competitive advantage.

Based on extensive, candid interviews with chairs, managing partners, COOs, and senior business professionals, the book explores the leadership approaches, strategic choices, and cultural attributes that have enabled these firms to evolve, adapt, and strengthen over time.

Authored by Kent Zimmermann with journalists Patrick Smith and Carlyn Kolker, The Outperformers is written for firm leaders, partners, and senior professionals who aim not merely to keep pace—but to lead.

What distinguishes the world’s most successful law firms from their peers?

The Outperformers draws on candid conversations with leaders of the profession’s most admired and profitable firms to reveal how exceptional firms build and sustain competitive advantage. Through first-hand insights from chairs, managing partners, COOs, and senior business leaders, the book explores how strategic clarity, disciplined execution, and strong leadership cultures drive superior performance in an increasingly competitive legal market.

Authored by Kent Zimmermann with journalists Patrick Smith and Carlyn Kolker, The Outperformers is written for firm leaders, partners, and senior professionals who aim not merely to keep pace—but to lead.

Kent Zimmermann advised on the largest two mergers of 2025, one of which was the largest law firm merger in history, the combination of Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft with Hogan Lovells. In this Q&A, Kent discusses with law.com how ZG has invested for the past decade in building out the future of its firm, including a team of associates and analysts, and how that has translated into more impactful value for clients and deeper, longer relationships with them

Law firm mergers are off to another strong start in 2024, with multiple combinations that span all corners of the continental U.S announced this week. Kent Zimmermann notes that over the past 24 months, higher-performing, higher-quality firms are putting mergers and acquisitions on the table when they hadn’t done so historically. One huge driver on why so many firms are interested in mergers is the recognition of significant benefits of scale.

This article is the third in a series on law firm mergers. The first piece examined how mergers succeed, and the second one discussed turning a firm with declining profits into an accretive acquisition. This third article discusses the strategies of mergers and their impact on both clients and partners.

Mary K Young writes about the process of law firm mergers, the growing urge for firms to combine, the sensitivity around post-merger firm names, and retaining brand equity.

Greentarget and Zeughauser Group’s latest State of Digital & Content Marketing Survey — our first in three years — revealed that clients of professional services firms see diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) as a key business priority.

In this article, Alex Dimitrief shares his recent experience volunteering in Ukraine. First published in The American Lawyer, this remarkable piece takes us through Alex’s Spring trip to Poland and Ukraine providing aid and raising funds to help the Ukrainian people.

Merger discussions among even some unlikely pairings seem to be heating up. In their new book, Kent Zimmermann and John E. Morris explain why and offer tips on how firms of various sizes and market positions should approach merger discussions.

In this article, Peter Zeughauser reviews the growth of Big Law and outlines what may be expected in 2022, which looks to be another big year for those firms. Size matters. Large firms with high revenue, high margins, and high levels of profitability will likely continue to widen the chasm between themselves and the next tier.

Zeughauser Group's 2021 Pocket Guide to the American Lawyer Rankings of the Am Law 200 by Profits Per Equity Partner and by Value Per Lawyer; The A-List; The Global 100; The Global 200; The China 50; The Asia 50; and The Corporate Scorecard.

If you would like a hard copy of the 2021 ZGuide, please send an email to zgadmin@consultzg.com with "2021 ZGuide Request" in the subject line and provide your mailing address.

Kent Zimmermann and Peter Zeughauser review how, in a difficult year, a subset of firms separated from the rest of the market with double-digit revenue and profits growth. Standout firms are growing faster than their peers by focusing on profitability and reaping the rewards. For 2020’s most successful firms, the year offered valuable insights into the future of their workplaces, their talent and their overall trajectory.

In this article, Alex Dimitreif discusses important billing principles and the need for detailed budgets. Law firms can no longer afford to view billing and budgeting as necessary evils or relegate them to backroom administrators. Outside counsel should seize upon the billing process as a vehicle for thoughtful discussions with clients about how assignments will be handled. Up-front exchanges about how much a matter will cost should facilitate dialogue on a client’s objectives and how best to achieve them. Interim bills should serve as informative status reports and alert clients to potential issues. Final bills should stimulate candid discussions about how the law firm performed and whether the client’s expectations were met.

There has been healthy chatter about the 2021 law firm merger market since last spring, when law firm leaders shuddered at the thought of what damage the COVID-19 crisis might inflict on BigLaw finances. Peter Zeughauser analyzes the BigLaw merger market in 2021 and senses that it seems poised for a return to normal. Indeed, by the end of January, it may feel like a snapback. By the end of 2021, last year's dip in the law firm merger market will be an anomaly, for a number of reasons.

By bringing in-person client interactions to a virtual halt, the COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a digital content explosion as law firms compete for the attention of clients and prospects. A new study of in-house counsel shows that providing substantive, actionable guidance remains the best way to rise above the noise, preserve existing client relationships, and win new ones.

These findings are detailed in the report, “How to Win and Protect Client Relationships in the Age of Remote Engagement,” released by strategic communications firm Greentarget, legal consultancy Zeughauser Group, and B2B branding agency Right Hat. The August 2020 survey of 75 in-house lawyers, including 37 general counsel, offers important guidance for law firms anticipating an extended period of remote outreach

Zeughauser Group's 2020 Pocket Guide to the American Lawyer Rankings of the Am Law 200 by Profits Per Equity Partner and by Value Per Lawyer; The A-List; The Global 100; The Global 200; The China 45; The Asia 50; and The Corporate Scorecard.

You can download the ZGuide here.

If you would like a hard copy of the 2020 ZGuide, please send an email to zgadmin@consultzg.com with "2020 ZGuide Request" in the subject line and provide your mailing address.

Alex Dimitrief writes that business, legal and governance journals are replete with articles illustrating how crises reveal the true character of companies and their leaders. The COVID-19 pandemic and social unrest sparked by deadly police brutality against minorities confirm that this adage holds just as true when it comes to a company’s commitment to environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues.

Recent criminal charges against former eBay employees show how bad things can get when employees are not encouraged to step forward and report unethical behaviors. In this article, Alex Dimitrief says employees are motivated to raise concerns when leaders set positive examples and unequivocally welcome the scrutiny of principled investigations of alleged misconduct at senior levels, the polar opposite of the Trump administration’s firing of inspectors general and unseating of the U.S. Attorney in New York.

Alex Dimitrief discusses ten lessons he learned at General Electric during the financial crisis and other periods of angst about how general counsel and their teams can help their companies navigate the coronavirus pandemic.